Kinsley

Light and glittery, but with plenty of spirit, Kinsley has risen quickly into the US Top 100. Balanced between preppy and cutesy, it feels like a fresh alternative to Kelly, Kaitlyn, or Kimberly.

Derived from an Old English place name, Kinsley is a modern American choice, meaning "the king's meadow" or "the clearing belonging to royalty."

Used almost exclusively as a surname up until the 90s, Kinsley didn't fully enter the mainstream until 2005. Since then, it's climbed up the charts and is now given to 3000 girls – and to a small handful of boys – each year.

With its crisp sounds and distinctive K initial, Kinsley has appealed to several celebrities. Ice hockey star Ryan Kesler, snowboarder Steve Klassen, the YouTuber Kaylie Varney, Chance the Rapper, and musician Travis Clark have chosen the name for their daughters.

Other notable namesakes include the beauty influencer Kinsley Deborrah, and the heroine of The Alphabet Mysteries series, written by Sue Grafton.

While Kinsley may rank lower on Nameberry charts than it does in the US, it has been chosen for a Babyberry! You can read all about her name here for some real-life experience of choosing it.

A current favorite among American parents, and more recently in Canada too, Kinsley blends sweetness and spark. If you enjoy the name, but want something less on trend however, you could try Kerrigan, Keeley, Kizzie, Keziah, or even Tesni.

Kinsley is also given to boys, where it ranks #7020 in the US.

Pronounced KINZ-lee.

As of October 2026, Kinsley ranked #93 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #57 in 2021, Nameberry popularity #875.